Revealing the Impacts of Gun Violence

Gun violence is a public health epidemic. Each year, more than 33,000 Americans die in suicides, homicides, and unintentional shootings. More than two and a half times that number are injured. America’s gun death rate is unacceptably high and far above other Western industrialized nations.

Our nation’s gun violence epidemic is linked to the easy availability of firearms and weak gun violence prevention laws. This correlation also holds at the state level: An annual VPC analysis shows that states with higher rates of gun ownership and weaker gun violence prevention laws have the highest gun death rates in the country. Conversely, states with stronger gun violence prevention laws and lower rates of gun ownership have the lowest gun death rates in the country.

The Violence Policy Center is a national tax-exempt educational organization working for a safer America through research, investigation, analysis, and advocacy. The VPC provides information to policymakers, journalists, organizations, advocates, and the general public. Click here to learn more.